..........................................................................................................................................................
The Lion And The Lamb
Elmer
Towns
“I Am the Lion and
the Lamb
“One of the most
interesting contrasts of names in Revelation occurs in chapter five, where in
the same context I am called both ‘the Lion of the tribe of Judah’ and ‘a Lamb’ (Revelation 5:5-6).
“If this combination
sounds paradoxical in English, it is even more so in Greek.
“The word used here
for ‘lamb’ is a diminutive and a term of endearment. It is the sort of word a
child might use to describe a cute and cuddly baby lamb.
“And yet, this title
is used here in the context of the regal majesty of the Lion of the tribe of
Judah, the ruling tribe of Israel.
“John here brings
together two titles with different emphases to give his readers a fuller
understanding of who I am.
“As the Lion, I am
everything the Jews expected in their Messiah. I was the son of David who would
rule over Caesar.
“I was the One coming
to establish the kingdom of God on earth. But I was also the Messiah who came
to give My life a ransom for many.
“As such, I am the
sacrificial yearling lamb. But I am a lamb with a difference: this lamb had
seven horns.
“A horn was a symbol
of power in the Old Testament, and seven was a number of completeness in
Scripture. This is the lamb with the fullness of the strength and power of the
lion.
“When Samson sought
to give the Philistines a riddle they could not resolve on their own, he said,
‘Out of the strong came forth sweetness’” (Judges 14:14).
“Even today, it is
uncommon to find strength and sweetness in the same thing.
“But I manifested
both strength and beauty.
“As you survey My
many names and titles, you note some which emphasize My strength at the same
time that others tend to emphasize My gentleness.
“This is evident in
Revelation which emphasizes the fact that God still sits on the throne and will
ultimately triumph over the world system: yet, twenty-six times you learn that
I am the Lamb.
“My predominant name
in Revelation is ‘the Lamb.’”
Dr. Elmer Towns, vice president of Liberty University, college and seminary professor, dean of the School of Religion, is also the author of numerous popular and scholarly works. He is the recipient of the coveted Gold Medallion Award awarded by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association for the Book of the Year, The Names of the Holy Spirit. He and Ruth, his wife of 56 years, have three children and ten grandchildren.
No comments:
Post a Comment